The 69-year-old Spurrier acknowledged he wasn't sure how long he'd coach South Carolina when he returned to college football in November 2004. Instead, Spurrier's prepping for his 10th season while overseeing the greatest run in Gamecocks history.

Spurrier is the school's all-time leader in coaching victories. He's won the program's lone Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title in 2010 and his teams have gone 42-11 the past four years, ranking only behind SEC powerhouses LSU and Alabama for most wins in that stretch.

"Age isn't that big a deal, it's more about your health," Spurrier said. "I read something that said Hillary (Clinton) would be 69 if she won the election. So it's about how you feel and I feel pretty good."

Spurrier's also confident that his team is still on the rise, despite defensive end Clowney foregoing his senior season for the Houston Texans.

"I don't know why people think this is the end of something," Spurrier said. "We've got a team that has a chance to be OK.""